Servant of Others - A Legacy Emerges

This episode continues with Clara’s battlefield mission, her time in Charleston, SC, the end of the War and one of her post-war efforts.

Transcript

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Thank you for returning for the third episode of Guided by Faith, Servant of Others, featuring the life and works of Clara Barton. Hopefully, you have found the early stages of Clara's lifelong commitment to serving others to be inspirational. Before continuing with the next episode, please allow me to make a correction to something referred to in episode two. In that episode, I indicated the Battle of Antietam to have occurred on July 16th and 17th, 1862. That notable battle, which resulted in over 22,000 casualties, occurred on September 16th and 17th, only three weeks after a similar number of casualties occurred at the Second Battle of Bull Run. This episode continues with Clara's battlefield mission, her time in Charleston, South Carolina, the end of the war, and one of her post-war efforts. I am grateful for your interest in the next part of her story. The magnitude of the conflict realized by Clara Barton at the Second Battle of Bull Run, noted at the end of the previous episode, although exhausting and heartbreaking, further emphasized the critical nature of her work and made it evident that the nation's conflict was not soon to end. In response, Clara reinforced her campaign to obtain the resources necessary to support the battles likely to come. Less than three months after the Battle of Antietam, Union and Confederate forces, after three weeks of strategic positioning, engaged in a fierce battle at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Fought between December 11th and 15th, 1862. This critical battle resulted in over 18,000 casualties, 13,000 of which were Union soldiers. Once again, Claire Barton and her relatively small team of volunteers were at the front line to provide the medical and emotional support to troops from both sides of the conflict. As to which side was victorious at Fredericksburg, the casualty count suggests another significant Confederate victory. However, the number of Confederate losses added to those in previous battles fought in the East, and the Union victory at Shiloh in April of 1862 made it evident to Confederate leadership that they could not sustain their strategy of advancing north of the Potomac. Accordingly, their attention turned south, enabling Union forces as well as Claire Barton to return home for much needed rest. Upon reflection of the Battle of Fredericksburg, as well as those battles that marked the early days of Clara's courageous and invaluable work, she once again allowed her compassion for the families of the stricken soldiers to rise to the surface. Knowing in many instances her brief encounters with wounded and dying soldiers might be the only connection back to that young man's home and family, Clara continuously looked for ways to pray for those back home who hope for the welfare and safe return of their loved ones. In a letter to her cousin Vera, written shortly after the Battle of Fredericksburg, Clara offered this prayer. O Northern mothers, wives, and sisters, all unconscious of the peril of the hour, would to heaven that I could bear for you the concentrated woe which is so soon to follow. Would that Christ would teach my soul a prayer that would plead to the Father for grace sufficient for you all. God pity and strengthen you, everyone. By this point, one of the most impressive aspects of Clara's battlefield service is that it was carried out by a very small number of individuals, usually less than ten, most of whom had little or no medical or battlefield experience. Further, these individuals served without pay, as did Clara Barton. Save for one or two people with medical skills, Clara recruited her laborers and assistants locally in advance of or during the battles in which her support was needed. Also, as noted previously, none of the supplies or the required materials, including transportation, was funded by the U.S. government. These characteristics of Clara's work, reliance upon engaged volunteers and self-funding, would be key to the success of her work during the remainder of the Civil War, in Europe following the Civil War, and for the American Red Cross well into the next century. History has long compared the persona and work of Clara Barton to that of Florence Nightingale and Dorothea Dix. These three women who lived contemporaneously during the 19th and early 20th centuries in many ways established and defined the frameworks for the delivery of wartime medical support and service. Like Barton, both Nightingale and Dix were strongly influenced by their faith to provide medical care and emotional support in the most trying of circumstances. Nightingale, English by birth, spent her career in Europe, including establishing and operating a British military hospital during the Crimean War from 1853 to 1856. Nightingale's seminal work was the publishing of Notes on Nursing in 1859, which is believed by many to be the original work of nursing education used throughout the world. Nightingale and Barton never met. On the other hand, in many respects, Barton and Dix worked side by side, especially during the Civil War. For most of the Civil War, Dix served as the superintendent of Army nurses for the Union Army, responsible for the recruitment and oversight of the nurses assigned to support Union Army hospitals. Like Barton and Nightingale, Dix was highly organized and disciplined in the execution of her responsibilities and clearly influenced the delivery of medical services, including nursing, well into the future. The most notable differences between these two remarkable women and Barton was that as stewards of their respective governments, neither Nightingale nor Dix found it possible to provide support to enemy combatants, a trait that was core to Barton's identity and ultimately provided her wherewithal to engage European and other leaders in her effort to bring the Red Cross to America. Secondly, although no less organized or disciplined than Nightingale or Dick's, Barton knew it was best for her to carry out her mission outside of the constraints of the military command and the potentially restrictive aspects of government funding. Regardless of the similarities and differences, and in the case of Dick's, the close proximity of their respective works, upon reflection, Barton was highly respectful of Dick's work and maintained a friendship well into the later stages of both of their lives. Whether by ourselves or by others, and whether in retrospect or in real time, it is difficult not to make comparisons with our contemporaries. Academic, athletic, career, and other communities in which we are engaged throughout our lives often include built-in comparisons with others in those communities. Grades, playing time, responsibilities and promotions emphasize the results of those comparisons, sometimes in our favor, sometimes not. How did we respond to the comparative pressures? How well did we respect the priority of the goals and objectives of the community over our own? Regardless of the outcomes of these comparisons, were we able to maintain friendships both at the time and possibly years later? Throughout his letters, Paul warns against the risks of comparison and elevates the value of humility. In 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 12, Paul writes, Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. And in Philippians chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. In late 1862, Clara found her respite in Washington, D.C. With the threat of conflict in that city removed for the time being, Clara, like most of the nation's capital, was able to reflect upon the events of the last six months and assess her ongoing commitment to the cause. To no surprise, notwithstanding the challenges faced and the danger endured, she re-emphasized her commitment with the following pledging before God all that I have, all that I am, all that I can, and all that I hope to be, to the cause of justice and mercy and patriotism, my country and my God. I am guessing that Barton knew not of St. Ignatius of Loyola or his teachings. However, her words here closely reflect the sushupe. Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours. Do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me. Even more impressive is Barton's further reflection on what had transpired during the second half of 1862 and what was to come, no matter how uncertain. I feel that my cup of happiness is more than full. It is an untold privilege to have lived in this day when there is work to be done, and still more, to possess health and strength to do it. These words closely align with those of David in Psalm 16. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. At the beginning of 1863, realizing that the call on her services would likely be curtailed while resting in Washington, D.C., Barton moved south to Charleston, South Carolina. This move was with equal parts to find an outlet for her thirst to serve others, and to be near her brother Stephen, who was engaged in his personal dilemma of being a New Englander with his well-established business in North Carolina in the midst of the expectation of further military conflict. By the time Barton reached Charleston, the birthplace of secession, the Union forces had effectively established a naval blockade on the port. Although it was anticipated there would be significant conflict in Charleston during 1863, including the potential attempt to recapture Fort Sumpner, no such battles emerged. Accordingly, Barton's time in Charleston required a substantial amount of patience related to the absence of the opportunity to serve at the battle sites as she had since the middle of 1862, the fact that the local military hospitals were reasonably well staffed and did not require her service, and uncertainty as to her brother's safety in North Carolina. During her time in Charleston, she made the acquaintance of Colonel J. G. Elwell, a Union quartermaster officer from Warren, Ohio, who was recuperating from a broken leg. As her patient, Barton soon learned of Elwell's religious background and their common affinity for the sermons of Henry Ward Beecher, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the 1852 novel, to which many attributed the heightened awareness of the consequences of slavery in America. Barton's relationship with Elwell grew principally around their shared religious beliefs and Elwell's ability to counsel Barton to remain patient during her time in Charleston. It was a conversation with Elwell concerning Barton's frustration with the absence of the opportunity to serve that prompted Clara to write. God's will, not mine, be done. I am content. However, I wish I could always keep in full view the fact and feeling that God orders all things precisely as they should be. All is best as it is. This type of patience is called for in Psalm 27. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. By 1864, Barton had returned to Washington. Through the first half of 1864, Barton, along with most of Washington, D.C., waited patiently, or impatiently for some, for the war to advance to its end. By this time, Sherman had advanced through the South, and Lee had retreated to Richmond in anticipation of holding off Union advances from that location. From May 8th through the 21st in 1864, the Battle of Sponsylvania resulted in 2,700 dead and 13,000 wounded. Barton quickly obtained approval to motivate to the battle site with materials, resources, and personnel. Although many battles remained before Lee would surrender to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, it was the final battle and possibly one of the most overwhelming from a medical standpoint at which Barton would be engaged in her Civil War battlefield mission. In the spirit of patriotism following the Battle of Spotsylvania, and after returning to Washington, she accepted a position as the superintendent of the Department of Nurses for the Army of the James and relocated to New York. In this role, Clara was responsible for the work performed by many nurses in the organization of the operation for numerous Union military hospitals. Although Barton served with the highest level of commitment and integrity, her Civil War experience and the continued passion to serve others would command her primary attention. It is said that patience is a virtue. In this context, it is likely meant that the patient person does not rush to judgment, waits their turn, and seeks the most appropriate time to act on whatever matter is at hand. Certainly, this person presents a virtue in the sense that time waiting is used to their benefit. What may be more virtuous as it relates to patience is the person who, like Clara Barton, has the patience to wait for God to judge, decide, or act solely for the benefit of others. With the war now clearly heading towards its end, and Clara, in her heart, having completed her tour of duty within the James Army hospitals, she reflected upon and turned her attention to a tedious yet compassionate post-war activity, the search for missing and unidentified soldiers. The number of missing and unidentified deceased solely related to the Union Army were overwhelming on their own. By early 1865, the Union Army had recorded known fatalities of just over 359,000 men, of which only 316,000 were believed to be buried in graves. And although over 172,000 of those graves did not include a name of the buried soldier. Likely the Confederate Army casualties reflected similar numbers. Clara Barton firmly believed that the best effort should be made, principally for the benefit of the families, to identify deceased and wherever possible locate the missing soldiers who fought bravely for their cause. Using her Washington network, by March 1865, Barton had obtained the approval of President Lincoln to embark upon this effort with the support of whatever government resources she believed were necessary. This support was sustained by President Johnson and General Ulysses S. Grant following Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, only five days after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. The ability to secure and retain the support of Lincoln, Johnson and Grant, at the time in which the country was still very uncertain as to the true outcome and consequences of the Civil War reflects the level of respect Clara Barton attracted. Her compassion for the families of the fallen soldiers and her dedication to the healing of the country could not be denied under any circumstances. With approval in hand, Barton established a highly organized plan to communicate the nature of her work and to attract whatever information could be obtained from families, colleagues, and others as to the whereabouts of the fallen soldiers. During the three years following the Civil War, in an effort to find missing or identified deceased soldiers, it is believed Clara Barton delivered over 63,000 letters of inquiry, replied to almost 59,000 inquiries received, and posted in public places almost 100,000 slips containing the roles of missing or unidentified soldiers. Through this effort, it is believed Clara Barton was responsible for notifying almost 22,000 families of the whereabouts of their loved ones or their remains. Included in this forensic effort was the investigation with the government's approval of selected Southern prisons. The most notable was the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia. With the valuable assistance of Dorance Atwater, a Union soldier once imprisoned at Andersonville, Clara Barton identified and marked the graves of 12,920 Union soldiers buried at that site. This work gave the families of those soldiers some closure as to the sacrifice made by their loved ones in the spirit of preserving the Union. With Barton's encouragement, Andersonville prison was left uninterrupted following her work and soon became recognized as one of the first national cemeteries in the United States. Barton's actions clearly reflected Jesus' words in John 15, verse 13. Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. No American woman more completely reflects the substance of the time leading up to the Civil War than Sojourner Truth. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in 1797. In 1826, she escaped slavery, fled to New York, and after a notable religious conversion in 1843, became a notable speaker as to the power of prayer. Although she did not represent an identifiable group of religious men or women, her words were and remain today compelling as to her belief in God. Let us end this episode of Guided by Faith with two quotes attributable to Sojourner Truth. Lord, if you want me to go, I will go. If you want me to speak, I will speak. Only show me the way, and I will trust you. And let others say what they will of the efficacy of prayer. I believe in it, and I shall pray. Thank God, yes, I shall always pray. Amen.